LIB  RAR.Y 

o  F  -TH  E 


Of    ILLINOIS 
G30.7 

liGi 

no.49-60 


AGRICULTURE 


t 


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UNIVERSITY    OF    ILLINOIS    LIBRARY    AT    URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


L161— O-1096 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS. 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station 


URBANA,  JUNE,  1898. 


BULLETIN    NO. 


ORCHARD   CULTIVATION. 

Throughout  large  sections  of  Illinois  maybe  found  the  rotting  rem- 
nants of  once  extensive  orchards,  representing  large  original  expenditures 
of  both  labor  and  money.  The  frequency  with  which  such  localities  are 
met  would  almost  seem  to  justify  the  statement,  usually  heard  in  the 
neighborhood  where  such  "worn  out"  orchards  are  found,  that  the  soil 
is  not  fitted  for  the  growing  of  fruit.  On  the  other  hand,  the  enormous 
apple  and  other  fruit  production  in  other  parts  of  the  state,  and  fre- 
quently in  localities  not  far  distant  from  those  first  mentioned,  makes  it 
evident  that  the  reason  so  often  assigned  cannot  be  the  correct  one. 

On  examination  and  inquiry  it  will  be  found  to  be  almost  invariably 
the  case  that  the  true  reason  for  the  failure  or  dying  out  of  an  orchard 
is  the  lack  of  sufficient,  or  the  entire  absence  of,  proper  cultivation  and 
care.  While  the  Illinois  agriculturist  has  been  devoting  his  time  and 
.attention  to  the  care  of  his  field  and  garden  crops,  it  is  too  often  the 
case  that  his  orchard  has  been  left  to  care  for  itself,  with  the  above 
mentioned  result. 

The  commonest  cause  of  failure  of  orchards  in  Illinois  may  be 
traced  to  the  ill  effects  of  summer  drouth^  though  perhaps  it  is  more 
commonly  referred  to  freezing  in  winter.  The  connection  really  existing 
between  these  two  destructive  agencies  has  not  been  often  recognized. 
The  fact  that  certain  varieties  of  apples,  usually  accounted  hardy  even 
to  our  most  northern  limits  and  in  exposed  situations,  sometimes  fail 
after  a  winter  not  noted  for  severity  has  at  different  times  attracted 

105 


106  BULLETIN  NO.  52.  \_June, 

attention,  but  the  significance  of  such  failure  does  not  seem  to  have 
been  duly  appreciated.  On  consulting  the  records  it  is  found  that 
orchard  injuries  and  exceptionally  severe  winters  do  not  coincide.  It 
often  happens  that  apple  trees  come  through  in  good  condition  during 
what  appear  to  be  the  hardest  winter  trials  while  they  sometimes  perish, 
or  at  least  evidently  suffer,  during  much  less  rigorous  seasons.  The 
autumnal  condition  of  the  trees  clearly  has  to  do  with  the  results,  and 
this  again  depends  upon  the  developments  of  the  growing  season.  One 
of  the  worst  things  that  can  happen  to  trees  is  the  failure  of  a  sufficient 
supply  of  soil  moisture,  when,  during  midsummer,  the  leaves  are 
normally  sending  into  the  air  surprisingly  large  quantities  of  water 
obtained  solely  through  the  roots.  .A  continuous  and  sufficient  supply 
of  water  is  essential  for  all  the  vital  processes  of  vegetation.  Apple 
trees  severely  suffer  when  not  so  supplied.  They  may  live  under  other- 
wise favorable  conditions,  but  they  can  neither  properly  mature  a  crop 
nor  prepare  for  one  the  succeeding  year  without  sufficient  moisture. 

More  especially  and  aside  from  its  direct  baneful  effects  injury  is 
likely  to  follow  a  summer  drouth  in  a  well  known  way.  A  scant  supply 
of  water  tends  to  check  growth,  to  ripen  that  already  gained,  and  then 
to  terminate  in  effect  the  season's  period  of  development.  The  tree  so 
untimely  maturing  its  season's  growth  is  somewhat  in  the  condition  it 
should  be  at  the  close  of  the  year.  Subsequent  spring-like  influences 
cause  a  second  development  of  activity,  and  more  or  less  resumption  of 
growth  late  in  the  year.  The  tree  now  goes  into  winter  in  poor  condi- 
tion to  withstand  even  the  ordinary  vicissitudes  of  the  season.  It  suffers 
not  so  much  because  of  severe  climatic  influences  as  because  of  its  own 
abnormal,  if  not  enfeebled,  condition.  It  is  therefore  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  care  properly  for  the  orchard  in  the  summer,  if  we  wish 
to  avoid  disaster  in  the  winter.  There  is  no  way  usually  practicable 
by  which  the  soil  can  be  kept  continuously  rnoist  through  the  summer 
except  by  preventing  the  evaporation  of  water  from  its  surface  by  a 
dust  mulch.  To  make  and  keep  this  dust  mulch,  frequent  shallow  culti- 
vation must  be  practiced.  The  principal  object  of  this  bulletin  is  to 
show  the  value  of  such  cultivation  in  orchards  by  reporting  results  of 
experiments  described  herein  and  to  show  the  methods  by  which  the 
work  has  been  done. 

In  1887-8  a  series  of  experiments  in  orchard  cultivation  and  man- 
agement was  begun  at  this  Station.  During  the  first  two  or  three  years 
the  work  was  not  very  systematic,  but  the  general  results  showed  that 
the  effect  of  the  cultivation  was  to  conserve  the  soil  moisture.  In  1890 
a  portion  of  ground  was  set  aside  for  the  further  and  more  systematic 
development  of  this  experiment.  Six  rows  of  trees  were  planted  in  this 
subdivision  of  the  orchard — three  of  Ben  Davis  and  three  of  Grimes 


1898.]  ORCHARD    CULTIVATION.  IO7 

Golden.  This  new  plantation  was  then  divided  into  five  plats.  The 
first  of  these  was  cultivated  clean,  the  second  cropped  with  oats,  the 
third  with  corn,  the  fourth  with  clover,  while  the  fifth  and  last  was 
seeded  with  blue  grass. 

This  system  of  cropping  and  cultivation  has  been  since  continued, 
and  the  results  of  the  experiment  are  shown  in  the  accompanying  illus- 
trations and  tables. 

Plate  i  shows  a  typical  tree  from  each  of  the  five  plats.  The  marked 
inferiority  of  the  trees  from  the  oats  and  grass  plats,  particularly  the 
latter,  may  be  seen  at  a  glance;  while  the  superiority  of  the  one  from 
the  clean  cultivation  plat,  as  regards  vigorous  and  healthy  appearance 
and  wealth  of  foliage,  is  almost  as  equally  apparent.  Plate  2  and  its 
accompanying  table  (p.  109)  and  Plate  3  are  further  illustrations  from 
the  same  trees  that  are  shown  in  Plate  i.  The  character  of  foliage 
and  marked  difference  in  diameter  of  trunk,  especially  between  the 
trees  from  the  clean  cultivation  and  corn  plats  and  that  grown  in  blue 
grass,  is  particularly  well  brought  out  in  Plate  3. 

Plates  4  to  6,  inclusive,  are  further  illustrations  of  the  same  con- 
irast,  and  show  the  appearance  of  the  trees  in  the  plats.  The  stunted 
condition  of  the'  trees  in  the  grass  plat  (Plate  6)  as  contrasted  with  the 
fine,  healthy  appearance  of  those  having  had  theclean  cultivation  (Plate  4) 
and  those  in  the  corn  plat  (Plate  5),  is  particularly  striking,  and  should, 
when  it  is  remembered  that  the  plats  are  situated  side  by  side  and  within 
a  few  feet  or  rods  of  each  other,  prove  a  fruitful  source  of  reflection  to 
the  thoughtful  orchardist  or  agriculturist. 

Tables  i  and  2  following  give  measurements  of  one  row  each  of  the 
two  varieties  in  the  portion  of  the  orchard  devoted  to  the  cultivation 
experiment. 

It  will  be  noticed  from  these  tables  that  the  trunks  of  the  trees  in 
the  corn  plat  average  about  the  same  or  slightly  larger  than  those  in 
the  clean  cultivation  plat.  From  this,  if  all  the  circumstances  of  the 
case  were  not  taken  into  consideration,  the  erroneous  conclusion  might 
be  drawn  that  cropping  the  orchard  with  corn  was  beneficial  to  the 
trees.  The  trees  were  planted  only  fifteen  feet  apart  each  way,  and 
after  the  first  two  or  three  years  the  intervening  spaces  were  so  shaded 
that  the  corn  attained  a  growth  of  something  less  than  one  half  the 
normal  size.  The  result  would  undoubtedly  have  been  different  had  the 
trees  been  set  farther  apart,  and  the  corn  allowed  opportunity  to  attain 
its  full  growth  and  development  during  the  latter  years  of  the  experiment; 
and  it  has  been  shown  by  experiments  elsewhere  that  the  cropping  of 
mature  orchards  where  the  trees  are  set  wide  apart,  with  corn,  has  a 
deleterious  effect  on  the  trees. 


io8 


BULLETIN    NO.    52. 
TABLE  i.     Row  3,   BEN  DAVIS 


\_Junc, 


Tree  No. 

Diameter 
of  trunk  at 
surface  of 
soil, 

inches. 

Diameter 
of  trunk  i  ft 
above  sur- 
face of  soil, 
inches. 

Height, 

feet,  inches. 

Diameter 
of  top. 

feet,  inches. 

i  

i8>£ 

lf>l/2 

19 

16 

Cultivation 

2           

19^ 

17^ 

18         6 

1C           4 

3  

2O 

i6>^ 

19         9 

15 

4  .  . 

i8>£ 

i6# 

18 

15 

,. 

Av.  for  plat.  .  .  . 

i£ft 

i6{i 

•i  8         9% 

J5         4 

f.   , 

16 

M 

18 

n       6 

Oats 

6          

i4i/ 

12^ 

17 

12 

7  

i8>< 

15% 

18         6 

13       10 

i, 

8  

IT* 

I5% 

18          6 

14         8 

,. 

Av.  for  plat.  .  .  . 

ifiT  i 

1U1B 

14% 

18 

13         6 

9  

21 

i8# 

18         6 

15 

Corn. 

10  

19^ 

i65< 

18 

ii  

22 

i8>^ 

18         3 

15 

« 

12              

20¥ 

I7J4 

18         6 

13         6 

,, 

Av.  for  plat.  .  .  . 

20%: 

i?K 

18         3^ 

J4          4/4 

13  

20¥ 

19 

19         9 

15          6 

Clover. 

ig 

17^ 

17 

I  c 

IS.    i  .  . 

i8}4 

16 

17 

I  i 

.. 

16  

i6# 

14%; 

16         6 

12 

i. 

Av   for  plat.  .  .  . 

18^ 

I6K 

17         6% 

13           I«/^ 

17. 

8¥ 

7% 

10         6 

7         6 

Grass 

18  

10 

9^ 

ii          6 

9 

Av.  for  plat.  .  .  . 

93A 

8^ 

ii 

8         3 

TABLE  2.     Row  6,   GRIMES  GOLDEN. 


Tree  No. 

Diam.  of 
trunk  at 
surface  of 
soil, 
inches. 

Diam.  of 
trunk  i  ft. 
above  sur- 
face of  soil, 
inches. 

Height, 

feet,  inches. 

Diam.  of 
top, 

feet,  inches. 

i    

oV 

&1X 

13           4 

8           6 

Cultivation 

2  

1314 

12 

14           9 

ii         9 

3  

I3I/ 

-II}/ 

14           6 

10 

« 

4  .  . 

1214 

ioU 

14 

IO 

ii 

Av.  for  plat  .... 

I2# 

I0# 

I4           1% 

10            0% 

5  .  . 

II 

n3/ 

13 

8         6 

Oats. 

6  (dead  '97).  .  .  . 
7  

6^ 
9K 

6 

8 

8         6 
13 

5         4 
8         6 

8  

9 

8^ 

13 

8 

.. 

Av.  for  plat  .... 

9 

8 

II           IO^ 

7         7 

i898.] 


ORCHARD    CULTIVATION. 
TABLE  2 — CONTINUED. 


109 


Tree  No. 

Diam.  of 
trunk  at 
surface  of 
soil, 

inches. 

Diam.  of 
trunk  i  ft. 
above  sur- 
face of  soil, 
inches. 

Height, 

feet,  inches. 

Diam.  of 
top, 

feet,  inches. 

9  

16^ 

I3K 

16 

12 

Corn. 

10  

I5tf 

13 

14         6 

9         6 

ii  

T.2y2 

™l/2 

13         6 

10 

n 

12  

14% 

™l/2 

15 

ii 

.. 

Av    for  plat    .  .  . 

14/2 

I2i76 

14         9 

10        7/2 

13  

12% 

10% 

14          3 

9         9 

Clover. 

14.  . 

7l/2 

6l/2 

ii 

6         6 

IS.  . 

iolA 

gl/2 

12         3 

9 

ii 

16  

12 

ioX 

14             2 

10         6 

•  i 

Av.  for  plat.  .  .  . 

io# 

'    9X 

12          II 

8       ii  tf 

17  

7l/2 

7% 

ii         6 

5         6 

Grass. 

18  

8% 

8 

II 

9         6 

Av.  for  plat.  .  .  . 

&y& 

7tt 

ii         3 

7         6 

TABLE  3.     MEASUREMENTS  OF  SPECIMENS  IN  PLATE  No.  2. 


Butt. 

Middle. 

Crotch 

Plat. 

No.  i  

18      in. 

16^4  in. 

16%  in. 

Cultivation. 

"      2  

I4f6    " 

13^    " 

13^    " 

Oats. 

"    3  

i%l/2    '' 

I?       " 

16%    " 

Corn. 

"    4  

17%    " 

l5l/2      " 

i5#   " 

Clover 

"     "?.  . 

io*A    " 

Q3/     " 

Q1A    " 

Grass 

The  effect  of  cultivation  on  the  root  system  of  the  trees  is  shown  by 
the  following  measurements  of  the  main  roots  of  each  of  the  trees 
shown  in  Plates  i,  2  and  3: 

Cultivation  Plat. — Root  8  feet  6^  inches  long.  At  3  feet  6  inches 
away  from  the  trunk  it  started  down.  It  went  down  until  it  reached 
a  point  5  feet  below  the  surface,  when  it  ran  horizontally.  Ends 
rather  stiff  and  blunt.  No  fine  fibers  at  the  end.  Two  feet  from  the 
trunk  it  measured  i^  inches  in  circumference.  Numerous  fibers  in  the 
soil  were  cut  in  digging. 

Oats  Plat. — Root  14  feet  4  inches  long.  Nine  feet  away  from 
trunk  it  was  only  15  inches  down.  It  then  turned  downward,  the  end 
being  3  feet  8  inches  down  below  the  surface.  But  few  small  rootlets. 
Two  feet  away  from  the  trunk  the  root  was  4  inches  in  circumfer- 
ence. Roots  were  long  and  whiplike,  with  little  tendency  to  branch  out. 


110  BULLETIN    NO.    52.  [June, 

Corn  Plat. — Root  15  feet  8  inches  long.  Eleven  feet  away  from 
the  trunk  it  divided  up  into  four  branches,  two  of  which  started  down; 
the  third  turned  laterally  and  the  fourth  appeared  to  be  a  continuation  of 
the  main  root.  The  latter  is  included  in  the  total  length.  One  branch 
started  down  and  reached  4  feet  4  inches  below  the  surface.  The 
root  had  a  great  number  of  small  roots  along  its  length,  with  many 
smaller  branches.  The  main  root  2  feet  from  stump  was  4^  inches  in 
circumference,  and  each  of  the  four  branches  was  almost  one  inch  in 
circumference. 

Clover  Plat. — Root  8  feet  4  inches  long.  Three  feet  6  inches  away 
from  trunk  it  turned  down.  It  was  then  i  foot  down  below  surface. 
It  ran  straight  down  4  feet  6  inches  more.  At  2  feet  away  from  stump 
root  was  4  inches  in  circumference.  Root  had  but  few  branches  and 
almost  no  fibers  when  compared  with  other  plats. 

Grass  Plat. — Root  10  feet  8  inches  long.  Ran  out  horizontally. 
The  end  was  18  inches  below  surface.  One  branch  started  at  15  inches 
away  from  trunk  and  ran  down  4  feet  9  inches.  Two  feet  away  it  was 
i^  inches  in  circumference.  Root  small.  Horizontal  root  much 
branched  near  the  end. 

Here  the  superiority  of  the  clean  cultivation  is  at  once  apparent. 
The  root  system  is  compact;  and  instead  of  lying  near  the  surface  of 
the  ground  where  it  is  easily  reached  by  drouth  and  meteorological 
disturbances,  it  strikes  deep  into  the  soil.  This  is  the  direct  effect  of 
the  conservation  of  moisture  in  the  subsoil  by  the  protecting  mulch 
formed  at  the  surface  by  the  cultivation  and  tillage.  These  have  so 
fitted  and  prepared  the  soil  that  the  plant  is  enabled  to  get  its  food  at 
home;  while  the  moisture  that  has  been  kept  from  evaporation  by  pul 
verizing  the  surface  soil  has  enabled  the  roots  to  strike  deep,  thus  giving 
the  plant  a  firm  and  compact  basis.  This  is  well  contrasted  with  the 
oats  and  grass  plats,  where  the  roots  grew  shallow  and  ranged  wide 
from  the  tree. 

The  deep  cultivation  in  the  clean  plat  also  kept  the  roots  from 
spreading  near  the  surface  by  keeping  them  pruned  there  until  they 
were  forced  to  strike  deep.  The  corn  plat,  on  the  other  hand,  was  never 
cultivated  over  three  inches  deep.  The  roots  of  the  trees  were  not 
obliged  to  strike  deep  for  their  nourishment,  so  as  to  use  what  was  in 
the  ground  nearest  them,  but  spread  widely  just  below  the  range  of  culti- 
vation. This  would  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  the  growth  of  the  trees  in 
this  plat  was  due  in  some  measure  to  the  peculiar  fitness  of  the  land  for 
the  purpose,  rather  than  to  anything  inherent  in  the  shallow  cultivation. 
As  the  object  of  prime  importance  in  the  cultivation  of  the  orchard 
is  the  conservation  of  the  moisture  which  is  essential  to  the  growth  of 
the  trees,  and  the  fitting  of  the  trees  to  utilize  all  the  food  in  their 


1898.]  ORCHARD    CULTIVATION.  Ill 

immediate  vicinity,  it  follows  that  no  crops  which  have  a  tendency  to 
deplete  these  stores  of  moisture  and  food  should  ever  be  allowed  in  the 
orchard.  Under  no  circumstances  should  hay  or  any  grain  crop  be  grown 
on  orchard  land.  In  the  orchard  of  Mr.  H.  A.  Aldrich  of  Neoga,  Ills., 
may  be  seen  an  example  of  this,  if  anything  further  in  that  line  be 
needed.  In  that  orchard  is  a  plat  of  trees,  all  planted  at  the  same  time, 
one  half  of  which  has  been  permanently  set  back  by  a  single  year's 
cropping  with  oats. 

Corn  or  any  other  hoed  crop  may  be  used  in  the  orchard  during 
its  first  two  or  three  years,  but  it  is  inadvisable  to  continue  cropping 
of  any  description  for  a  much  longer  period — certainly  not  after  the 
trees  have  arrived  at  bearing  age.  Nothing  should  be  taken  from  the 
orchard  after  that  time  but  the  fruit.  Occasionally  an  orchard  may  be 
seeded  and  allowed  to  go  a  year  or  two  in  sod;  but  no  hay  should  ever 
be  cut,  and  usually  as  the  strength  of  sod  increases  the  amount  of 
foliage  and  fruit  will  decrease.  If  the  soil  is  lacking  in  organic  matter 
an  occasional  crop  of  clover  or  cow  peas  may  help  the  orchard,  but  this 
should  be  plowed  under  at  the  end  of  the  season  and  not  removed  from 
the  ground. 

Two  illustrations  may  be  given  to  show  the  actual  effect  of  cultiva- 
tion in  the  preservation  of  soil  moisture.  The  fall  of  1897  was  an 
exceedingly  dry  one.  Careful  analyses  made  of-soil  samples  from  the 
plats  devoted  to  the  cultivation  experiment  during  October,  1897,  showed 
for  the  first  27  inches  an  average  percentage  of  moisture  for  the  various 
plats  approximately  as  follows: 

Clean  cultivated 12  per  cent. 

Corn 12       " 

Clover 10 

Oats 8 

Grass 8 

When  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  the  amount  of  moisture  must  exceed 
10  per  cent  to  make  it  available  to  the  plant  to  any  extent,  the  super- 
iority of  the  clean  cultivated  and  corn  plats  (the  latter  of  which  was,  as 
has  been  said,  practically  clean  cultivated  also),  so  far  as  the  amount  of 
moisture  is  concerned  is  apparent. 

The  other  illustration  is  that  of  the  main  orchard  at  the  Experiment 
Station,  which  is  shown  in  Plate  12.  During  the  entire  season  of  1897 
it  was  kept  in  a  good  state  of  tilth,  and  in  spite  of  the  extreme  drouth 
held  its  wealth  of  foliage  during  all  the  dry  weather  and  bore  an  abun- 
dant crop  of  fruit. 

TOOLS  AND  PROCESSES. 

The  actual  process  of  orchard  cultivation  is  neither  a  hard  nor 
complicated  operation,  since  the  tools  used  are  such  as  are  found  on 


112  BULLETIN    NO.    52.  [June, 

nearly  every  farm.  The  tools  used  in  orchard  cultivation  at  the  Experi- 
ment Station  are  shown  in  Plate  7.  The  plow  is  the  ordinary  breaking 
plow,  and  is  used  for  the  first  spring  cultivation.  It  is  then  followed  by 
the  disc  and  spring-tooth  harrows.  The  disc  harrow  in  use  at  the 
Station  is,  as  may  be  seen  from  Plate  7,  No.  2,  and  Plate  8,  of  the 
spading  or  cutaway  type,  but  the  ordinary  disc  harrow  with  solid  discs 
is  as  good  for  all  practical  purposes. 

If  the  spring  is  dry  and  the  plow  and  disc  harrow  have  left  hard  lumps, 
it  is  well  to  go  over  the  orchard  with  a  roller  (Plate  7,  No.  4)  for  the 
purpose  of  thoroughly  reducing  them  and  the  first  spring  preparation  of 
the  soil  for  the  growing  season  is  then  completed  by  going  over  the 
entire  orchard  with  a  smoothing  harrow.  The  first  stages  of  the  spring 
cultivation  as  carried  on  at  the  Station  are  shown  in  Plate  8,  a  view  in 
the  main  orchard. 

For  later  cultivation  by  all  means  the  most  desirable  implement  to 
use  is  the  spring-tooth  harrow  (Plate  9),  although  the  disc  harrow  is 
also  extremely  useful  for  this  purpose.  Either  of  these,  however,  should 
be  followed  by  a  smoothing  harrow  for  the  purpose  of  reducing  the 
ridges  left  by  the  former  tool  and  the  evaporating  surface  thus  afforded. 

Cultivation  should  be  carried  as  near  to  the  trunks  of  the  trees  as 
possible.  As  the  best  length  of  trunk  is  rather  under  than  over  four 
feet,  care  must  be  exercised  in  working  under  overhanging  tops.  The 
implements  mentioned  all  allow  of  working  close  up  to  the  tree,  but  the 
style  of  harness  to  be  used  with  them  is  an  important  consideration  if 
the  trees  are  not  to  suffer.  The  harness  for  orchard  work  should  have 
no  projecting  hames  or  terrets,  leather  loops  being  used  in  place  of  the 
latter.  As  long  whiffletrees  are  apt  to  scar  and  bruise  the  trees  unless 
extreme  care  is  used,  a  harness  arranged  to  draw  by  a  single  chain 
instead  of  ordinary  traces  is  preferable.  One  of  the  Sherwood  type 
(No.  i,  Plate  8),  is  the  most  satisfactory  for  this  kind  of  work. 

After  heavy  rains  the  surface  should  be  broken  up  with  the  smooth- 
ing harrow,  and  after  very  heavy  rains  it  may  be  necessary  to  use  the 
spring-tooth  and  even  the  disc  harrows  for  this  purpose.  In  seasons 
when  rain  is  plentiful  this  will  be  sufficient,  and  will  also  keep 
the  orchard  free  from  weeds;  but  in  very  dry  years,  such  as  was  the 
growing  season  of  1897,  a  fine  soil  mulch  should  be  kept  on  the  surface 
by  weekly  cultivation.  This  is  important,  as  in  such  seasons  all  of  the 
soil  moisture  is  needed  by  the  trees,  and  none  should  be  allowed  to 
escape  by  evaporation. 

COST. 

The  cost  of  cultivation  is  a  most  important  item, "and  should  not 
be  overlooked  in  this  connection.  During  the  season  of  1897,  the 


1898.]  ORCHARD    CULTIVATION.  113 

main  orchard  at  the  Experiment  Station  was  cultivated  thirteen  times 
after  the  spring  plowing — three  times  with  the  disc,  three  times  with 
the  spring-tooth  harrow,  and  seven  times  with  the  smoothing  harrow. 
In  an  exceptionally  dry  season,  such  as  that  was,  the  ground  should 
be  gone  over  about  once  a  week  during  the  growing  season.  The 
cost  of  these  cultivations  was  $16.00  per  acre.  This  may  seem  high 
for  a  single  season's  outlay,  but  when  it  is  remembered  that  there 
were  fifty  trees  to  the  acre  in  this  orchard  it  will  be  seen  that  the  cost 
per  tree  was  but  thirty-two  cents  for  the  season.  As  the  trees  bore 
heavily,  kept  a  luxuriant  foliage  to  the  very  end  of  an  extremely  dry 
season,  made  a  good  growth,  and  went  into  the  winter  in  first-class  con- 
dition, it  will  be  seen  that  the  cost  was  comparatively  low  when  placed 
alongside  the  benefits  derived. 

PREPARATION  OF  THE  SOIL  FOR  PLANTING  ORCHARD  TREES. 

The  foregoing  remarks  are  applicable  to  growing  orchards,  but  for 
the  preparation  of  the  soil  for  setting  out  new  fruit  plantations  more 
is  necessary.  As  land  appears  more  uniform  under  grass  or  grain  crops, 
it  is  well  to  put  in  some  hoed  crop,  such  as  potatoes  or  corn,  for  a  year 
or  two  previous  to.  the  setting  of  the  orchard.  This  will  enable  the 
owner  to  get  better  acquainted  with  the  soil  peculiarities  than  he  other- 
wise could. 

If  the  land  is  not  naturally  well  drained  it  should  by  all  means  be 
tile  drained,  particularly  if  it  has  a  stiff  and  rather  impervious  subsoil. 
This  is  of  greater  importance  even  than  subsoiling,  as  the  results  of  the 
latter  can  only  remain  for  two  or  three  years  at  the  outside.  Subsoiling 
may  start  the  root  system  down  properly,  but  if  the  subsoil  is  of  the 
kind  above  mentioned  it  will  in  time  relapse  into  a  state  of  impenetra- 
bility if  not  under  drained. 

Ordinarily  all  orchard  land  should  be  thoroughly  gone  over  with  a 
subsoil  plow  (Plate  10)  before  trees  are  set — always  so,  if  there  is  a  hard 
subsoil  within  two  feet  of  the  surface.  On  some  light  prairie  soils  where 
the  hard  subsoil  is  much  lower  than  this,  the  subsoiling  is  superfluous. 

It  should  always  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  care  the  orchard  gets 
during  its  first  six  or  eight  years  largely  determines  its  ultimate  fate, 
and  that  the  directions  before  given  in  regard  to  the  care  and  crop- 
ping of  the  young  orchard  are  doubly  important  when  viewed  in  relation 
to  its  subsequent  life. 

To  give  final  emphasis  to  the  foregoing  remarks,  reference  is  made 
to  the  accompanying  illustrations  (Plates  n,  12  and  13).  Plates  n  and 
13  show  an  Illinois  orchard  in  which  systematic  cultivation  has  not  been 
carried  on.  Plate  12  is  a  view  in  the  main  orchard  of  the  Experiment 
Station.  It  was  taken  in  September,  1897,  at  a  time  when  a  large 


114  BULLETIN    NO.    $2.  [June, 

majority  of  the  apple  orchards  throughout  the  state  were  almost  com- 
pletely defoliated  as  a  combined  result  of  drouth  and  apple  scab. 
The  tree  in  the  foreground  with  its  wealth  of  foliage  and  bending 
under  the  weight  of  its  load  of  fruit  tells  its  own  story,  and  stands  forth 
in  marked  contrast  to  the  preceding  picture.  From  it  there  can  be  but 
one  conclusion  drawn — that  while  other  things  have]  greater  or  less 
effect  upon  an  orchard's  health  and  condition,  the  prime  requisite  to 
successful  orcharding  in  Illinois  is  thorough  and  systematic  cultivation. 

THOMAS  J.  BURRILL,  PH.D., 

Horticulturist  and  Botanist. 

JOSEPH  C.   BLAIR, 

Assistant  Horticulturist. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATES. 

Plate    i.     A  typical  tree  from  each  of  the  five  plats. 

No.  i.     Tree  from  cultivated  plat. 

No.  2.         "      "      oats 

No.  3.         "      "      corn 

No.  4.         "       "      clover 

No.  5.         "      "      blue  grass      " 

Plate    2.     Trunks  and  cross  section  of  the  five  trees  shown  in  Plate  i. 
Plate    3.     Cross  section  of  trunks  and  one  year's  growth  of  twigs  with  their  foliage 

of  the  five  trees  shown  in  Plate  i. 

Plate    4.     View  of  a  portion  of  the  oats  and  clean  cultivation  plat. 
Plate    5.     View  of  a  portion  of  the  corn  and  oats  plat. 
Plate    6.     View  of  a  portion  of  the  clover  and  blue  grass  plats. 
Plate    7.     Tools  used  in  orchard  cultivation  at  the  Illinois  Experiment  Station. 

No.  i.     Plow. 

No.  2.     Disc  harrow. 

No.  3.     Spring-tooth  harrow. 

No.  4.     Roller. 

No.  5.     Smoothing  harrow. 

Plate    8.     The  first  stages  of  spring  cultivation  as  carried  on  at  the  Illinois  Ex- 
periment Station. 
Plate    9.     Spring-tooth  harrow. 
Plate  10.     Subsoil  plow. 

Plate  ii.     An  uncultivated  young  orchard  as  seen  on  an  Illinois  farm. 
Plate  12.     A  cultivated   orchard  as  seen  on   the  Experiment   Station  grounds, 

Dominie  apple  tree  in  the  foreground. 
Plate  13.     An  uncultivated  and  otherwise  neglected  old  orchard  as  seen  on  an 

Illinois  farm. 


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